Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a default 20 mph speed limit in built-up areas.

Local authorities are best placed to determine the speed limits for their areas, based on local knowledge and the views of the community.

Compliance with the existing 30 mph limit has improved significantly over recent years, but 45% of drivers still exceeded the limit in 2014. It would not be desirable to introduce a default 20mph limit unless a satisfactory degree of compliance could be achieved.

Evidence from existing areas where there are 20 mph limits in place suggests that average speeds tend to fall to compliant levels only if previous average speeds were already low, around 24 mph.

However, the Department has commissioned research into the effectiveness of 20mph limits. The study will cover many aspects including effects on speed, collisions, casualties and modal shift. The research will also consider best practice, road users’ perceptions and effects on the quality of the environment. This is a three year study reporting in 2017.